Sun bear basics

[Gorilla king]

Along with being the smallest bear species in the world, the sun bear (Ursidae Helarctos malayanus) is also one of the rarest. The sun bear's name is derived from the golden colored crescent shaped patch of fur on its chest. It is also known as the honey bear because of its extreme fondness of honey, the dog bear because of its size, and the Malay bear for its geographical location.

Out of all species of bears, the least is known about the sun bear because they are so rare.

HABITAT
The sun bear is found primarily in the rainforests of Southeast Asia and is believed to be in the following countries: India, Bangladesh, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei , and Laos. Laos is thought to be one of the last strongholds for the sun bear because of its rugged terrain, scarcity of human population, and abundance of forested area. The sun bear used to inhabit China. However, that is now thought to be doubtful. The one subspecies of sun bear (Helarctos malayanus euryspilus) is found only on the island of Borneo.

The size of the sun bear's territory depends a lot on the concentration of food sources. They spend a good portion of the day sleeping and sunbathing in nests or platforms that they build in trees.

CHARACTERISTICS
The sun bear is roughly half the size of the American black bear. The average adult weighs from 60 to 145 pounds and measures from 48 to 60 inches in length. Males are 10 to 20 percent larger than females. Like other bears, it stands on its hind legs to view distant objects or when it senses a potential enemy.

Their black fur is short and dense and repels rain, mud, and other debris rather efficiently. The color of the bear's short muzzle varies in color from light gray to orange which often extends slightly above their beady eyes. The sun bear's ears are smaller and more rounded than most bears, though they have excellent hearing. Their feet are turned inward, giving them a distinctive pigeon-toed walk, similar to that of the sloth bear. Their bare soles and long sharp claws make them excellent tree climbers.

Sun bears have an extremely long narrow tongue which they use to extract honey from hives and insects from deep crevices in trees. Their teeth are flatter compared to other bears' teeth. Although the sun bear isn't extremely carnivorous, its canine teeth, which are used by many animals to tear meat, compare favorably with those of lions and tigers. Just like with a tree, a sun bear's age can be determined by the number of rings in its teeth.

The sun bear is known to be exceptionally aggressive and will attack without cause. Having such large canines, extremely strong jaws and long claws, it is said to be one of the most dangerous animals to encounter in the jungle.

DIET
The Malayan sun bear is omnivorous. In the jungle, food can be spread out very thinly over a large area. Sun bears are nocturnal animals, usually setting out at dusk in search of anything edible. They have a large variety of foods in their diet such as, fruits, honey, snails, eggs, lizards, birds, rodents, and other small animals. They also enjoy the young tips of palm trees, nests of bees, sprouts, roots, termites, and other insects. They have no problem breaking open nuts with their strong jaws or tearing open termite mounds with their long claws. The Bornean sun bear relies on fruits from the Moraceae, Burseraceae and Myrtaceae family to make up over half its diet.

The diet of the Thailand sun bear is very similar to that of the Asiatic black bear since their habitat overlaps.

BREEDING
Because they do not hibernate, sun bears are capable of reproducing year-round and have been observed breeding at various times of the year. The mating period lasts anywhere from two days to a week. It is described as a boisterous occasion, similar to sloth bears, with the bears engaging in hugging-like behavior, mock fighting, head bobbing, head nuzzling and barking. Copulation takes place in a manner similar to members of the canine (dog) family.

The gestation period is usually about 95 days. However, it has been observed to last as long as 240 days which suggests delayed implantation. Usually 1, but sometimes 2 cubs are born while the mother sun bear nests deep in the forest undergrowth. Climate and food supply are important determinants to the size of the litter.

At birth, the cubs are blind, hairless and very tiny. Their approximate weight is 7 ounces. Their skin is virtually transparent. Helpless at birth, the cubs develop quickly, and within 1 or 2 months they are able to forage with their mother.

There are reports of sun bears forming monogamous pairs in the wild but this is, at present, unsubstantiated. Pairs of adults have been observed to be in the company of cubs. However, sun bears are usually solitary creatures except during mating season and females raising their offspring. The cubs usually stay with their mothers until they are nearly full grown. Females reach maturity at about 3 years, and males 4 years.

STATUS
The two major threats to sun bears are habitat loss and commercial hunting. They are hunted mainly for their meat and for use in medicines. They are also hunted for their fur and even to sell as exotic pets. Killing of the bear is prohibited by national wildlife laws. However, enforcement of these laws is rare. Though the size of their population is unknown, it is estimated that it has declined over 30 percent in the last 30 years.

They have been on the IUCN's Red List of Endangered Species since 1978, and are listed as vulnerable. Their lifespan in captivity is 25 to 28 years. Though their lifespan in the wild is unknown, it is thought to be about 12 to 24 years.


www.bearsoftheworld.net/sun_bears.asp

[Gorilla king]

SUN BEAR

HELARCTOS MALAYANUS

Subfamily: Ursinae

APPEARANCE

The sun bear has a short, sleek, black coat. The muzzle is short, and gray to faint orange in color. The crescent-shaped chest patch is yellowish or light colored. The muzzle is shorter and lighter colored than that of a black bear and in most cases the white area extends above the eyes. The ears are small and round. The paws are large and the soles are naked, which is thought to be an adaptation for climbing trees. The claws are large, curved, and pointed.

SIZE

This is the smallest of the bears. Adults are about 120 to 150 centimeters (48 to 60 inches) long and weigh 27 to 65 kilograms (60 to 145 pounds). Males are 10 to 20 percent larger than females.

HABITAT

Sun bears occur from near sea level to over 2100 m elevation, but appear to be most common in lower elevation forests.They are excellent climbers to harvest fruits . and  sometimes sleep in tree nest or on big branches.

DISTRIBUTION

Sun bears occur in mainland Southeast Asia as far west as the eastern edge of India, as far north as Yunnan Province in China, and south and east to Sumatra and Borneo, respectively. Sun bears are rare at the northern and western edges of their range (southern Yunnan province, southeastern Tibet, northeast India, and Bangladesh.  Because of large-scale habitat destruction and poaching, it is likely that its range has recently been reduced in northern and western regions. Ongoing development of plantations of oil palm and rubber are reducing habitat in many areas.

REPRODUCTION

There is little information about reproductive behavior in the wild. Sun bears do not seem to have a defined breeding season anywhere in their range with cubs are apparently born throughout the year. The gestation period for six births at the East Berlin Zoo and two births in San Diego Zoo was reported to be 93 to 96 days, suggesting t here was no delayed implantation. Conversely, three pregnancies at the zoo in Fort Worth, Texas, lasted 174 to 240 days, suggesting delayed implantation. Litters consisted of either one or two cubs, weighing about 325 grams (10 ounces) each. Cubs are reported to remain with their mothers until they are fully grown.

SOCIAL SYSTEM

Little is known about the behavior or social structure of sun bears. Except females with their offspring, sun bears usually appear to be solitary. They may congregate to feed from large fruiting trees, but this behavior appears to be rare.

DIET

Sun bears are omnivores, feeding primarily on termites, ants, beetle larvae, bee larvae and honey, and a large variety of fruit species, especially figs (Ficus spp.), when available. Occasionally, growth shoots of certain palms and some species of flowers are consumed, but otherwise vegetative matter appears rare in the diet. In Bornean forests, fruits of the families Moraceae, Burseraceae and Myrtaceae make up more than 50% of the fruit diet.


www.bearbiology.org/bear-species/sun-bear/

[Gorilla king]

Watch the world’s smallest bear copy its friends’ facial expressions

Humans are master impersonators—even infants can mimic the facial expressions of their friends and parents. Other socially sophisticated primates can copy others’ faces during play, with toothy grins bouncing from one gorilla or orangutan to the next. Now, scientists have captured video of the world’s smallest bear doing the same thing, the first time that a nonprimate has been shown to ape faces.

Researchers took short videos of 22 sun bears (Helarctos malayanus) spontaneously playing together over several years at the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre in Sandakan, Malaysia. This diminutive bear is elusive and solitary, spending most of its life roaming the forests of Southeast Asia. But bears at the center engaged in hundreds of mostly gentle play fights, even though the enclosure was large enough that they could have kept to themselves.

The researchers divided the bears’ facial expressions into two types: an open-mouthed gape and an open mouth with a wrinkled nose and exposed teeth. Then, they watched the 3- to 5-minute videos to see whether the bears matched their playmates’ facial expressions.

Thirteen of the bears mirrored the facial expression of their roughhousing partner exactly within 1 second of seeing it, the researchers report today in Scientific Reports. The bears also surprised researchers with their social sensitivity—they made roughly 85% of their facial expressions while face to face with another bear.

The presence of these sophisticated social behaviors in the solitary sun bear suggests, say the researchers, that facial mimicry may be more common than previously thought. It also challenges the idea that only animals with complex social lives can be copycats.









www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/03/watch-world-s-smallest-bear-copy-its-friends-facial-expressions

[Gorilla king]

Feeding ecology and morphology of the upper canines in bears (carnivora: Ursidae)


The large canines of the sun bear are divergent from other ursine ursids, and may be an adaptation for tearing open tree trunks in search of insects. 


onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jmor.10643

[Gorilla king]

THE LONGEST TONGUE OF ANY BEAR SPECIES:

[Gorilla king]

SUN BEARS FIGHTING SHOWING GOOD GRAPPLING SKILLS:

[Gorilla king]

Sun bears: global status review and conservation action plan.


"Weights among sun bears also vary by the availability of foods:
wild bears with access to oil palm fruits tend to be
heavier (Table 1), whereas those subsisting on wild foods
during periods of fruiting failure are very thin, and may
even die of starvation (Wong et al. 2005, Fredriksson
2012). The heaviest wild sun bears for which there are
data were males on the mainland with access to oil palm
fruits (average ~75–80 kg). Males in Borneo consuming
only wild foods averaged ~40 kg while Bornean females
averaged only ~25 kg when weighed mainly during lean
fruiting periods (Table 1). Healthy adults in captivity at a
rescue facility in Cambodia are typically ~70 kg for males,
and 10 kg less for females (Free the Bears, unpublished
data, 2018). Weights of these bears recorded throughout
the year over the course of 13 years (>5,600 weight
measurements) revealed that adult females varied little
seasonally, whereas males exhibited a pronounced (but
as yet unexplained) fluctuation, with a decline (~12%)
during March–May (J.P. Whiteman/Free the Bears,
unpublished data, 2018)."







redirect.viglink.com/?format=go&jsonp=vglnk_162679297598712&key=71fe2139a887ad501313cd8cce3053c5&libId=krc6ehr00102ylrr000MLmk81ijd3&loc=https%3A%2F%2Fdomainofthebears.proboards.com%2Fthread%2F975%2Fsize&v=1&out=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cpsg.org%2Fsites%2Fcbsg.org%2Ffiles%2Fdocuments%2FSun_bears_-_Global_status_review_conservation_action_plan_2019-2028_UNABRIDGED_B.pdf&ref=https%3A%2F%2Fdomainofthebears.proboards.com%2Fboard%2F38%2Fsun-bear&title=Size%20%7C%20Domain%20Of%20The%20Bears&txt=www.cpsg.org%2Fsites%2Fcbsg.org%2Ffiles%2Fdocuments%2FSun_bears_-_Global_status_review_conservation_action_plan_2019-2028_UNABRIDGED_B.pdf

[Gorilla king]

THE MALAYAN SUN BEAR IS A POOR PERFORMING RISK, FOR IT IS BY NATURE, HYSTERICAL, EVIL- TEMPERED, AGGRESSIVE AND VERY SAVAGE.






books.google.com/books?id=m3C1AAAAIAAJ&q=Carl+Hagenbeck+bear+vs+tiger&dq=Carl+Hagenbeck+bear+vs+tiger&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwja0_7lgaDmAhWFsZ4KHRWwA0Y4ChDoATABegQIARAJ

[Gorilla king]

Dietary preference of Malayan sun bear (Helarctos malayanus) in Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh, India


Abstract and Figures

We characterized the dietary pattern of Malayan sun bear Helarctos malayanus from three seasons in Namdapha tiger reserve, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Eighty five scat samples were collected between August 2008 and November 2010. Scats were analysed both qualitatively and quantitatively to determine the food composition of sun bear in the region. The contents were manually separated and examined. Cumulative frequency was used to determine the contribution of food items in the diet of sun bear. Malayan sun bear was observed to feed on a wide variety of food items. Coleoptera were the most frequently occurring food item in their diet. Sun bear consumed 10 plant species. The items/species area curve was developed to find the minimum number of scats required to study the dietary composition. Food of animal origin comprised of the class Arachnida, Insecta, Mammalia and Osteichtyes. Sun bear were also found to feed on 15 families of insects that were mainly from the order Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Isoptera. Among 15 families, 14 insects were identified as regular food items of sun bear in the study area. Presence of rodents and scorpions in food of sun bear was also recorded. Among these, 8 families of beetles (Coleoptera), one family of stingless bee (Apidae), one family of ants (Formicidae) and one wasp (Vespidae) could be identified.


www.researchgate.net/publication/327624021_Dietary_preference_of_Malayan_sun_bear_Helarctos_malayanus_in_Namdapha_Tiger_Reserve_Arunachal_Pradesh_India

[Gorilla king]

Sun Bear loses its bearings in Sungai Besar



PETALING JAYA: For one week, the villagers of Kampung Simpang 3 Logi, Sg Besar in Selangor played host to a very unusual guest - an adult Malayan Sun Bear.

The 70kg female had lost her bearings from her home in a nearby jungle and ended up wandering around the village for about a week.

The bear was spotted by villages in various locations and in a particularly melancholy snapshot, was pictured standing alone contemplating life in an open paddy field



We received a report on April 16 from a member of the public who informed us about the bear," said Selangor Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) director Abd Rahim Othman.

He explained that the bear was not aggressive and had mostly shied away from people.

"Wild animals would not act aggressively unless provoked. If it saw someone, it would run away," he told The Star Online.

On Tuesday, officers from the state Perhilitan successfully managed to subdue the bear at the aforementioned paddy field and released it back into the wild.

"At first, we tried to set a trap but after a few fruitless days, we used a tranquilliser instead," he said, and added that the bear was in good health and was sent to the Terengganu National Park on Wednesday


www.thestar.com.my/News/Nation/2015/04/22/Bear-loses-bearings-Sg-Besar/

[Gorilla king]

Craniometric differences among Malayan Sun Bears (Ursus malayanus); Evolutionary and taxonomic implications

Abstract

In this paper I use multivariate statistical analyses of Sun Bear (Ursus malayanus) skull measurements to investigate the differences between specimens from Borneo, Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula, and the Asian mainland. Specimens from Borneo were significantly smaller than those from elsewhere, but they had relatively long tooth rows. There were no significant differences between specimens from Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and the Asian mainland. Based on these results, the interpretation of the fossil record, and some preliminary molecular work on the species, I hypothesize that U. malayanus originally evolved in the Sundaic Subregion some time during the Pliocene, and that soon after the species was split in a Malayan and a Bornean form. The Malayan form later dispersed to the Asian mainland and Sumatra. The observed morphological differentiation of the Bornean taxon from the others warrants its subspecific designation as U. malayanus euryspilus. I recommend assigning all remaining populations to the typical form U. malayanus malayanus. Although more research is needed, especially on the species' phylogeny, the results imply that the two subspecies should be independently dealt with in conservation management.


www.researchgate.net/publication/228505964_Craniometric_differences_among_Malayan_Sun_Bears_Ursus_malayanus_Evolutionary_and_taxonomic_implications

[tyrannosaurs]

I remember saving a studbook of them but can't find it. Anyhow, it says that Sun bears that eat certain food are smaller at 31 kg' than sun bears that eat wild food (42 kg'). Something like that, but I cannot find it.

[tyrannosaurs]

Here it is!
drive.google.com/file/d/1gZjChs6cQdhjnHMe8Ffw6teDxQfC3y6J/view?usp=drivesdk
The title says: Sun bears: global status review and conservation action plan.

[Gorilla king]

Jul 24, 2021 1:01:14 GMT -5 tyrannosaurs said:

Here it is!
drive.google.com/file/d/1gZjChs6cQdhjnHMe8Ffw6teDxQfC3y6J/view?usp=drivesdk
The title says: Sun bears: global status review and conservation action plan.

Look at reply #7, lol.

[Gorilla king]

Jul 24, 2021 0:58:10 GMT -5 tyrannosaurs said:

I remember saving a studbook of them but can't find it. Anyhow, it says that Sun bears that eat certain food are smaller at 31 kg' than sun bears that eat wild food (42 kg'). Something like that, but I cannot find it.

Actually, 80 kg for the Malayan sun bear. But its the other way around, the ones that eat wild foods are smaller, the ones that eat oil palm are larger. (Reply #7)

[tyrannosaurs]

Thank you for the correction. I haven't read it in a long time lol.

[Gorilla king]

Predation on sun bears by reticulated python in East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo


Abstract and Figures

The Malayan sun bear is the largest member of the order Carnivora on the island of Borneo. Few records exist of predation on this species beside humans, whereas accurate recordings of natural predation events can teach us about the ecology of the prey species. Here I report on an attempted and a successful predation of Malayan sun bears by a reticulated python, both in a lowland dipterocarp forest in East Kalimantan. The successful predation was accomplished by a ~7 m reticulated python. The python preyed and swallowed an adult female sun bear, possibly weakened at the time due to a fruiting failure and nursing of a cub. Both predation events occurred at night, with the python probably surprising the bears during their sleep.



Reticulated python (~7 m) lying in a small stream after having swallowed an adult female sun bear; the bulge on the left hand side in the python contains the sun bear. 


Reticulated python being pulled out of an underground stream 1.5 month after it swallowed a radio-collared adult female Malay sun bear (photo courtesy M. van Nieuwstadt). 


... Snakes reside on all continents (with the exception of Antarctica and New Zealand) and in a wide range of habitats, including aquatic and terrestrial environments. Across species, body mass can vary from 0.6 g to 150 kg (Fredriksson 2005;Hedges 2008). Snakes are different in many respects from the taxa studied to date with respect to HRA, including lizards (even though snakes are included in the lizard clade). ...

... The snakes have been already over-exploited for its skin and flesh by local settlers and natives that may lead to its present status as an endangered species (Bhaskar and Rao 1992). In Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia, Malaysia, Lao and Philippines, pythons are traded for leather industries (Shine et al. 1999, Fredriksson 2005. But there was no evidence of exporting of python skin was seen in Great Nicobar Island. ...

... In primary forests, the availability of sun bear food resources is tied to dipterocarp mast-fruiting cycles (Wong et al. 2005;Fredriksson et al. 2006). During inter-mast periods, sun bear food sources become scarce, leading to starvation (Wong et al. 2005), greater predation risk (Fredriksson 2005a), and increased human-bear conflicts (Fredriksson 2005b;Wong et al. 2015). ...

... Given their lower metabolic rates, reptiles feed much less frequently than do hypercarnivorous mammals [31], but this is compensated for by the extremely high biomass of heterothermic carnivores [22,32]. Physical power is clearly not a problem, because pythons and anacondas are capable of killing and eating 'large carnivores' such as bears and large cats [33,34]. Like many mammalian carnivores, large, predatory reptiles also kill domestic livestock and are vulnerable to the same sort of retaliatory persecution that affects 'large carnivores' [35,36]. ...


www.researchgate.net/publication/228726707_Predation_on_sun_bears_by_reticulated_python_in_East_Kalimantan_Indonesian_Borneo

[Gorilla king]

oldindigosilverback

This should interest you:

Sun bear predation on an oriental pied hornbill nest

Miriam N. Kunde, B. Goossens


Abstract

Sun bears (Helarctos malayanus) are opportunistic omnivores that feed predominantly on fruits and invertebrates, but predatory behavior by sun bears is rarely recorded. Although commonly described as a forest-dependent species, the sun bear is a generalist and seems to have some potential to adapt to changing environments. Here we report the first record of a sun bear predating on oriental pied hornbills (Anthracoceros albirostris) in their nest in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, during spring of 2019. It is a human-disturbed landscape surrounded by oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations, with the remaining degraded forest providing a wildlife corridor for Borneo's wildlife. The sun bears photographed by camera traps along the wildlife corridor, including the predatory bear, appeared to be in good condition, therefore evidently finding sufficient food resources. Their opportunistic feeding behavior, not necessarily food shortage, may allow them to take vulnerable prey, such as this low-nesting hornbill.




bioone.org/journals/ursus/volume-2021/issue-32e3/URSUS-D-19.00018.1/Sun-bear-predation-on-an-oriental-pied-hornbill-nest/10.2192/URSUS-D-19.00018.1.short

[oldindigosilverback]

Surprising but not surprising since the sun bear has predatory instincts like other bears.

[oldindigosilverback]

Sun Bear

Helarctos malayanus


ABOUT

Small but mighty: The sun bear is the smallest of the world's eight bear species, about half the size of the American black bear. Its common name comes from the white or yellowish crescent marking on its chest, which many people think looks like the rising or setting sun. Each bear’s crest is individual—like fingerprints.



The sun bear’s jaws provide a powerful bite force and are often used to tear into trees to get at the burrowing insects beneath the bark. They have a distinctive pigeon-toed walk, an adaptation to their arboreal lifestyle. Like other bears, sun bears have an incredible sense of smell, thought to be several thousand times better than that of humans.



HABITAT AND DIET

Tree, sweet tree: In the Malay language, the sun bear is called basindo nan tenggil, which means “he who likes to sit high.” It certainly lives up to that reputation! The sun bear likes to make its home in the branches of trees. Its small size, 4-inch-long (10 centimeters) claws, and large paws with hairless soles help the little bear move about with ease high up in trees.



Those branches also make a nice place to build a nest for resting or sunbathing during the day, although in areas undisturbed by humans, sun bears are more likely to rest on the ground. Their eyes are more forward-facing than those of longer-snouted bears like polar bears, which is another adaptation thought to aid in climbing.



The sun bear has all the tools necessary to protect itself. Those claws and canine teeth are handy weapons in a fight. If a predator were to latch on during a struggle, the sun bear can turn in its loose skin and bite its attacker. And even though the sun bear lives in a hot, humid climate, its short, sleek, dark-brown coat is unusually thick and dense to protect the bear against twigs, branches, falls, and heavy rain. What’s more, the sun bear can be a quick mover when it needs to be, outpacing more lumbering bears like giant pandas.



The omnivorous sun bear relies primarily on fruit and insects to meet its needs. Its front paws and long claws rip open trees in search of insects or sap. Other occasional food choices include small birds, fruit, honey, lizards, rodents, and soft parts of palm trees. Strong jaws and teeth even help this bear open coconuts!



The sun bear’s especially long tongue is perfectly suited for getting at honey and insects inside trees and other tight places. Its appetite for coconuts, oil palms, and other commercial crops has led to a lot of conflict between sun bears and humans. Sadly, this conflict is a significant conservation threat to the sun bear, as the little bears are often killed or confiscated for the pet trade.



At the San Diego Zoo, sun bears eat fruit, vegetables, and an omnivore pellet. They also receive bones to gnaw on twice a week and, for enrichment, an assortment of mealworms, crickets, and other tasty items!



FAMILY LIFE

Cub scouting: Sun bears don’t have a particular breeding season; in fact, adult female sun bears are the only type of bear known to cycle several times each year. Nests have been observed in leafy vegetation on the ground or in hollow logs. Cubs are born hairless and helpless, unable to hear or smell, and are completely dependent upon their mother for food, warmth, and protection. Mothers sometimes walk upright and carry their babies in their paws or mouth to move them from place to place.



Sun bear youngsters are able to run and play at about 4 to 5 months of age, and they are probably naturally weaned at about 18 months of age. They probably stay with their mother, however, for about two years as they learn the facts of life.



Sun bears vocalize using a variety of different sounds. Adult bears use a clucking noise, resembling the sound of a hen, which is a typical contact call signaling friendly intent. Aggressive sun bears can bark, growl, and roar, not unlike other bears. Cubs hum while nursing and squawk or cry when in need of their mother’s attention.



The degree to which sun bears use chemical communication has not been well documented. Sun bears do rub against rocks and trees, a behavior known from other bears to deposit hair and other scent samples that others can investigate. Sun bears do sniff the urine and feces of other sun bears and appear to get some chemical information from these “messages.” However, sun bears are not known to engage in anogenital scent marking like their distant relative, the giant panda.



AT THE ZOO

The first sun bear to live at the San Diego Zoo arrived in 1928, and it was quite an accomplishment for a young zoo in a small city to obtain such a rare bear! In 1935, two more arrived. On New Year’s Eve, 1938, we welcomed our first Malayan sun bear cub; sadly, it did not survive long. However, more cubs were born in the early 1940s. It was a challenge to keep up with these clever bears; a 1940 article from our member magazine recalls:



“We gave them a cement tree, which they proceeded to break to pieces with teeth and claws. Before the first week was over they had all of the cement broken off the tree and the branches, made of strong rods of reinforcement iron, bent all out of shape, and the metal lath upon which the cement gunnite had been shot hanging in shreds. Finally we took them out and built a tree with reinforced pipes for limbs and the heaviest, hardest cement possible to obtain sprayed on very, very thick. They put this tree through every test, but it has stood and how they love to go up and down it."



In 1965, a Malayan sun bear named Boo Boo was donated by the United States Navy to the Zoo’s Children’s Zoo after being used for six months as the mascot to the Seabees of MCB Ten in the fighting zone of Vietnam. Boo Boo held the distinction of being one of a few animals to receive dental care from a navy dentist; apparently, the Seabees fed her a lot of sweets, causing dental problems. Another “celebrity” sun bear at that time was Josephine, who had been the mascot of the University of California, Los Angeles’ football team in 1961.



When Sun Bear Forest opened at the Zoo in 1989, five young Malayan sun bears quickly, and true to form, tore up their new home, ripping out grass, trees, and anything else they could find. Zoo architects and horticulturists again had to redesign the habitat to make it more "bear proof." Still, the new habitat was a success, as we welcomed the birth of sun bear Stanley later that year.



Our Zoo is currently home to a Bornean sun bear named Marcella. As the only successfully reproducing female Bornean sun bear in the US, Marcella is a great ambassador for sun bear conservation. Her first cub, Danum, was born in 2004, the first Bornean sun bear to be born in North America. Second son Bulan was born in 2006, and in 2008, Marcella had twins Pagi and Palu. Because sun bears are so hard to find in their native habitat, Marcella and her babies allowed our conservation scientists and wildlife care specialists the rare chance to study mother/cub interactions. All four of Marcella’s offspring have moved to other zoos as part of the Species Survival Plan for sun bears.



CONSERVATION

Sun bears are vulnerable to extinction. It is unknown how many are left, since their secretive nature makes them hard to find, and few studies have focused on these bears. This lack of data currently prevents them from being listed as endangered; however, sun bear populations are believed to be dwindling rapidly, due mainly to habitat loss from farming and logging, poaching (both for meat and use in medicines), and even the pet trade. Their appetite for oil palm and other commercial crops has led to a lot of trouble between sun bears and humans, and sun bears are walking a survival tightrope.



The population of this rare bear is thought to have declined more than 30 percent in the last 30 years. Although it is illegal to kill sun bears, laws protecting them are rarely enforced.



San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, through past participation in the Bornean Sun Bear Species Survival Plan and current collaborative efforts with zoos worldwide, is working hard to help these petite bears. We also partner with the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC) in Sabah, Borneo. BSBCC serves as a rescue and rehabilitation facility for orphaned and injured sun bears.



We are excited about developing our partnership into a conservation work opportunity that will aid in the protection of the smallest bear on Earth and could lend insight into this bear’s biology. We know from our past work, for example, that sun bear mothers and panda mothers are very similar in their attentive maternal-care styles, and both pandas and sun bears differ from the less active hibernating bears like brown and black bears. What other similarities and differences between the many bears will we find?

animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/sun-bear